Classical Music Inspired by Flowers Part 1

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Classical Music Inspired by Flowers

It’s almost spring! As the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, it’s no wonder composers are inspired by this time of year. The new growth and vivid colors make for some beautiful imagery – and music. With that in mind, here is some of the most beautiful classical music inspired by flowers.

Crisantemi by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Puccini pulled inspiration from the vibrant chrysanthemum for his string quartet Crisantemi (“Chrysanthemums”). Composed in a single night in January 1890, the 6-minute work pays tribute to Puccini’s friend the Duke of Savoy, who had recently died.

Crisantemi‘s two main themes are dark and haunting yet beautiful and powerful at the same time. The first theme is restless and heartfelt, building on chromaticism. The second melody appears in the middle of the work and contrasts heavily with the first; it is longing and mournful in nature.

*Fun fact: the chrysanthemum is the traditional Italian flower of mourning.

Les Roses d’Ispahan by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

This evocative art song, written in 1884, takes its text from a poem by French writer Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894). And Fauré‘s shimmering music takes the text to a whole new level. You can almost smell the jasmines and the orange blossoms!

Here’s an English translation of the text:
French LyricsEnglish Translation
Les roses d’Ispahan dans leur gaine de mousse,
Les jasmins de Mossoul, les fleurs de l’oranger
Ont un parfum moins frais, ont une odeur moins douce,
Ô blanche Leïlah! que ton souffle léger.		The roses of Isfahan in their mossy sheaths,
The jasmines of Mosul, the orange blossom
Have a fragrance less fresh and a scent less sweet,
O pale Leilah, than your soft breath!
Ta lèvre est de corail, et ton rire léger
Sonne mieux que l’eau vive et d’une voix plus douce,
Mieux que le vent joyeux qui berce l’oranger,
Mieux que l’oiseau qui chante au bord d’un nid de mousse …		Your lips are of coral and your light laughter
Rings brighter and sweeter than running water,
Than the blithe wind rocking the orange-tree boughs,
Than the singing bird by its mossy nest …
Ô Leïlah! depuis que de leur vol léger
Tous les baisers ont fui de ta lèvre si douce,
Il n’est plus de parfum dans le pâle oranger,
Ni de céleste arome aux roses dans leur mousse …		O Leilah, ever since on light wings
All kisses have flown from your sweet lips,
The pale orange-tree fragrance is spent,
And the heavenly scent of moss-clad roses …
Oh! que ton jeune amour, ce papillon léger,
Revienne vers mon cœur d’une aile prompte et douce,
Et qu’il parfume encor les fleurs de l’oranger,
Les roses d’Ispahan dans leur gaine de mousse!		Oh! may your young love, that airy butterfly,
Wing swiftly and gently to my heart once more,
To scent again the orange blossom,
The roses of Isfahan in their mossy sheaths!

Rosen aus dem Süden by Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)

Composed in 1880, Strauss‘s sweet waltz medley Rosen aus dem Süden (“Roses from the South”) combines musical themes from his operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin. Although the work at a whole is rather pensive, the waltz concludes with sparkling melodies and joyful harmonies.

Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Mahler titled the peaceful second movement of his massive 3rd symphony “What the flowers in the meadow tell me”. Structured as a minuet (a slow, stately ballroom dance popular in the Baroque era), the dance-like themes bend and blow in the breeze, showing Mahler’s love for the outdoors.

The 90-minute symphony tells a story through all six movements. Read more about that here!

Lay a Garland by Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795-1856)

This heartbreakingly gorgeous eight part madrigal (an a cappella song for multiple voices, usually with elaborate counterpoint) takes its text from the play The Maid’s Tragedy (first published in 1619). In the story, the character Aspasia sings these words while she is made to watch her true love marry another, and originally the text was sung in first person. Pearsall changed the narrative to third person in 1840 when his composition was published:

Lay a garland on her hearse
of dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say she died true.
Her love was false, but she was firm
Upon her buried body lie
lightly, thou gentle earth.

The suspension, elongated melodies, and mournful harmonies create the perfect scene of lost love.

There is lots more classical music inspired by flowers; what other pieces would you add to this list?

As the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, let's listen to some of the most beautiful classical music inspired by flowers.

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I'm a pianist, composer, writer, photographer, and overall classical-music-lover who is always open to new sounds.

6 thoughts on “Classical Music Inspired by Flowers Part 1”

  3. (I have a pianist friend that shares ALL your traits!) ??

    01) Howells: A Spotless Rose (choir)
    02) Debussy: Bruyeres (Heather) – from Piano Preludes
    03) Debussy: Jardins Sous La Pluie (Garden under the rain) Estampes No 3 – piano
    04) Schumann. Blumenstück (Flower Piece) piano piece
    05) Schubert: Heidenröslein (Heather Rose) Lied on Goethe
    06) Leo Delibes: Flower Duet (opera Lakme) soprano & mezzo-soprano
    07) Britten: Five Flower Songs (choir)
    08) Britten. Ceremony of Carols “There is no Rose” (choir)
    09) Rachmaninov: Daisies – song Op 38 – piano
    10) Edelweiss (‘The Sound of Music’) – you know…
    11) Bizet: Flower Song (Carmen) – Tenor aria from the opera
    12) Ciulio Caccini: Amarilli mia bella – Italian Baroque canzona
    13) Jean Françaix. Horloge de Flore (The Flower Clock) for oboe & orchestra
    14) Edward Macdowell: To a Wild Rose – original for piano (many arrangements)
    15) Prokofiev: The Tale of The Stone Flower – full ballet (1948-1953)
    16) Scott Joplin: Heliotrope Bouquet – piano (rag)
    17) Delius, The Walk to the Paradise Garden (orchestral interlude)
    18) Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love) first three songs relate to flowers
    19) Amy M. Beach (1867-1944: first female American composer of renown!)
    — The rose of Avon‑town Op 30 (‘Once bloomed a rose in Avontown…’) song (1896)
    — Three Flowers Songs (1. The Clover, 2. The Yellow Daisy, 3. The blue-bell)
    — From Grandmother’s Garden Op 97 (1922) 5 pieces for piano on flowers
    1.Morning Glories
    2.Heartsease
    3.Mignonette
    4.Rosemary and Rue
    5.Honeysuckle
    and… how can anyone forget!!!? — > Tchaikovsky: The Waltz of the Flowers (from The Nutcracker)
    Of course there is a lot of history attached to each above, which nowadays is easy to find online.
    Lastly… (quote)
    “Many people believe playing classical music to plants helps them thrive. At Colorado Women’s College, Dorothy Retallack conducted experiments on marigolds and discovered that over a period of a month they responded well to soothing Palestrina and died when dissonant Schönberg was played!”
    [well, I would need to know specifically WHICH pieces, and WHAT plants!!!]
    Enjoy

    Reply

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